


Symbols and Illuminations

by Miko_of_Midnight



Category: Arrow (TV 2012), The Flash (TV 2014)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Soulmates, Gen, Light Angst, M/M, Olivarry Week, Pre-Slash, Soulmate-Identifying Marks
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-10-21
Updated: 2015-10-21
Packaged: 2018-04-27 13:12:04
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,825
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5049889
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Miko_of_Midnight/pseuds/Miko_of_Midnight
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>People have soulmate-identifying marks, but Fate wouldn’t make it THAT easy, would she?</p><p>For Olivarry Week 2015- Day #4: Anything Goes</p>
            </blockquote>





	Symbols and Illuminations

**Author's Note:**

> So, this is a free day for Olivarry week. I was harder for me to not have a prompt and decide was I wanted to do in the plethora of options. 
> 
> As you can see, I ended up choosing a Soulmate AU. There are a lot of different kinds out there. One I like a lot is Soulmate-identifying marks. I love the ones with names or initials, and almost did that kind, however I recently read a variation (in a different fandom) where the mark was in the shape of something relating to their soulmate. It could be a shape, picture, or word, and there was a lot more ambiguity and it’s less obvious who your soulmate is and that interested me. 
> 
> Apologies for any spelling/grammar errors, it was done in a few hours and there was little (read: no) editing. But here it is my drabble-y contribution to Day #4-The Free for all!

One of the first things Barry remembered asking his mother was about the smudge that never came off even though his mom made him take baths _all_ the time.

“That’s a soul mark, dear,” his mother replied with a small, fond, smile on her face rubbing her wrist. Barry stared down at his chest over his heart at the smudge, poking it, but it didn’t feel any different than his normal skin. 

“What’s that?” he asked, looking back up at his mom in confusion.

“It- it helps you find who to love,” she struggled to put it into words that he would understand. “It’s just very special,” she said, settling on a simplistic explanation. She smiled at his brow scrunching in confusion. “You’ll understand more when you’re older.” Barry groaned; he hated hearing that from adults. His eyes went back to the spot on the left side of his chest. It didn’t really look like anything, just like a smudge of dirt, how could this be special?

When he was first brought into the Wests’ home he locked himself in their bathroom, scrubbing at the mark over his heart with tears streaming down his face. He didn’t want a soulmate. His mom and dad had been soulmates and look what had happened to them. He could still hear the gut-wrenching sounds of pain his father had made as his soulmate was torn from him and his mark had faded. And now the police assumed he had killed her because they had no proof that they had been bounded by their very souls. He didn’t want any part of this. 

He scrubbed his skin until it was bright red, but just as it had years before when his mom had put him in baths, it didn’t come off. Barry stopped just before he broke skin, sobbing as quietly as he could, not wanting the Wests to hear.

He looked at his blurred reflection in the mirror over the sink. He wiped at his eyes until the reflection became clearer. He didn’t care about the mark- all he wanted right now was his mom and dad back.

He knew one of those was impossible, but he would put all of his focus in trying to clear his dad’s name so they could be a family again.

* * *

 

Oliver had heard all the stories about soulmates, but by the time he was a teenager and his mark had stopped moving and settled permanently low on his hip, he’d stopped believing in the fantasy. I mean, his parents weren’t soulmates and they seemed perfectly happy with each other. He hadn’t heard one story of soulmates that had ended happily. The only bonded pair he had known was Tommy’s mom and dad. His mom had been tragically murdered and his father had gone off the deep end. Not giving a shit for his son- their son.

Tommy and him never talked about their marks. Oliver knew he had one because he had caught flashes of the dark marks on his back when they had changed in the locker room for gym. He was just lucky his was so easily covered up. Everyone then thought he didn’t have one. Which was just fine with him.

He didn’t want some dumb random shape on his body that he didn’t choose or ask for to decide anything for him. He didn’t want to end up like Tommy’s dad.

Hey, for all he knew it was just a dumb story made up to try and explain everyone’s marks.

He’d never admit that once and a while his hand traced over the shape of a lightning bolt only when he was lying in bed and the house was silent.

He didn’t know that he would take comfort in it on the island. Even more than the photo of Laurel, which he had ended up showing the others when Slade had asked, “That your soulmate, kid?” 

He never told anyone about his mark, but would occasionally finger it absentmindedly. He seemed to be come more aware of it, then he had Before. He had a lot of time left with his own thoughts, even with all the crazy shit that went down. During quiet moments, or after training, he would wonder about his soulmate. He wondered if he’d ever get the chance to meet them or if he’d die on the island. 

* * *

 

Barry still didn’t care much for soul marks. Look at Joe, he was happy and he’d never met his either. Regardless, he’d fallen in love with Iris. She was beautiful and kind and lit up his life when it was darkest. He didn’t need a soul mark to tell him that his best friend was amazing and he loved her.

He had done his best to ignore his mark, even when it had gradually moved and taken shape, he had caught glimpses in the mirror. He tracked its progress to his back, but only so he would know how to keep it covered at all times. He dreaded if it decided to move anywhere more open. However, it stayed on the back of his shoulder. He sighed in relief, it was easy enough to cover, it’s not like he walked around shirtless a lot, he just made sure to have plenty of undershirts to cover it up. Joe had merely raise his eyebrow when he always asked for undershirts for Christmas, but he didn’t press.

No one had seen his mark, except Joe. This was when he had forgotten to knock on the bathroom door once and Barry had been looking- well tracking its progress in the mirror. He had gently asked his son about it once, but then let it be when he had stammered himself into almost hyperventilating. They had come to a wordless understanding about it; Joe would be there for Barry if he ever wanted to talk about it and Barry, well he liked to pretend that it didn’t exist. It was really for the better.

Iris was much more open about her mark, though it was fairly visible on her upper arm. She had been fascinated with it ever since they were kids and had bugged Barry about his until he had snapped at her, shocking both of the Wests. It was the only time Barry had ever yelled at his best friend like that. From then on she had not asked about his. She had even been a bit nervous to talk about her mark with him around after that outburst. Barry had felt really bad about it, and had assured her that he wanted to hear all about hers. After he asked a lot of questions she had eventually felt comfortable with him again, telling him anything and everything.

That had probably been the first secret he had kept from her. The second one, being that he didn’t quite love her the same why she loved him.

When Barry had first begun hearing about the vigilante in Starling City, he was captivated and devoured any information or news about the Hood that he could.

Joe didn’t think much of his son’s obsession at first because it was breaking news, and Iris was just as enthralled by him. He knew about Barry’s extracurricular researching, and he had loved comic books as a kid. He didn’t approve of the Hood, but understood the appeal when everyone felt that SCPD was failing at bringing crime into check. However he still didn’t agree with it.

It wasn’t until the Hood showed up after a long absence, seeming to have turned over a new leaf and with a new name that something niggled at the back of his mind. _Arrow_ …

Barry took a few days off and Joe had suspicions that he was going to Starling City. He had long stopped trying to halt Barry’s side investigation, however, this doesn’t stop him from looking out for his kid and keeping an eye on him.

When Barry delayed his journey home Joe worried after all, Starling City was far from the safest place. Joe was hoping he’d get back in time for the particle accelerator unveiling; he’d been looking forward to it for weeks.

When the hospital called Joe’s first thought was that the vigilante had something to do with this, which was ridiculous, because he had just talked to Barry and he had been back in Central City. What happened to his son? 

* * *

 

Oliver felt a burst of inexplicable pain shoot through him as if a bullet had been shot through his spinal cord, making him jerk up right in bed with a gasp.

What the hell was that? Maybe he had just remembering something that had happened on the island or in Hong Kong and it had felt so real. It had never happened before, but who knew.

He couldn’t get to bed the rest of the short night and decided to head to the Foundry. And that’s where Felicity found him the next morning, as she rushed in, muttering to herself. She jumped when she heard the clang of the bar on the salmon ladder. She looked up in surprise at anyone else being here this early. And she was momentarily- distracted.

“Hey Felicity,” Oliver said, jumping down and turning to face his slack-jawed teammate.

“Oh- hey-hey Oliver, I didn’t know you were going to be here. Not that it would have mattered. I mean it _is_ your place, but I was headed over anyways before work because I wanted to check on Barry.” Oliver scowled a bit at the CSI’s name. Something about the kid had unsettled him. Something in him was screaming that he paid attention to him; he might be a detriment to their mission and to his team. And his interest in Felicity was… concerning. He definitely needed to keep an eye on the kid.

“What about him?” Felicity seemed to find renewed purpose and sat down at her station and began typing furiously.

“Didn’t you hear about the particle accelerator at S.T.A.R. Labs? It’s been all over the news. It was a huge disaster and I know Barry wanted to go, so I just wanted to make sure he was okay, but he hasn’t answered any of my calls or texts. So… I may or may not be checking the GPS in his phone,” she glanced up at Oliver, biting her lip, a bit embarrassed before returning her eyes to the screen.

Could, that have been what he felt last night? Oliver hadn’t thought of his soulmate much since coming back because he’d been a bit busy, carrying out his father’s last wishes and trying to do right by his city. Could it have been- though… had his soulmate died!? He felt a flash of panic and lifted up the waistband of his shorts slightly, but the mark was still there. He didn’t know how he’d feel if it hadn’t been, but he felt relief that it was still there. Had his soulmate been hurt by what had happened in Central City.

“-I mean, it’s not illegal, so it’s not a big deal and as long as he’s not- oh.” Felicity’s silence made Oliver turn back to the technician, who was looking at the screen as if it had bit her.

“What is it Felicity?” She pointed a finger to the block on the screen labelled Central City General Hospital. The poor kid, he hadn’t deserved-

“Wait, what happened?” Felicity began typing again, seeming to forget the ethics of looking up his phone’s GPS and began to hack into the hospital, which she would later say had really been child’s play.

“He was found shortly after the particle accelerator malfunctioned and has been in a coma since he was stabilized at the hospital. They believe that he might have been struck by lightning.” It was just a coincidence, right? Oliver’s hand unconsciously moved to his hip, rubbing the mark he knew was beneath the fabric. Oliver didn’t believe in coincidences- not any more.

The rest of the day he was distracted analysing everything the CSI had said or did while he had been there. Felicity never noticed because she too had been distracted. He had felt annoyed at his interest in Felicity, was it because he had felt a connection to kid? He assumed it had been because the kid knew his secret and had saved his life out of his own sense compassion.

It occupied his mind until he finally decided to visit the kid. He went in as early as possible hoping to not encounter any family or friends. He kept the hood of his jacket up because he didn’t want to risk anyone recognizing Oliver Queen.

He was just going to check on the kid with his own eyes and then hightail it back to Starling. But when he saw him, so pale and a mere shadow of the vibrant man he had just met not long ago, he felt drawn closer.

He outstretched his hand, his fingertips lightly touching the arm that wasn’t hooked up to an IV. He felt a sense of rightness, peace, standing next to him. He jerked his hand back. He heard someone approaching the door he made a quick exit out the window, glad there had been a fire escape within arms reach.

Adrenaline rushed through his ears when he came to a stop after running all the way back to his bike. He don’t know what he had expected to happen when he visited the kid, but it hadn’t been _that._

In the weeks that followed Barry was a constant in the back of his mind. This led him to visit whenever he could. Time passed with Barry not recovering. So really, it was only a matter of time before he was caught. It had to be when he was dressed as the vigilante, too.

He had become careless at listening at the door, sure that it was too late for visitors. Oliver stood next to him, in what had subconsciously become his spot. He had given in the third time to touch his arm again, and by this time had worked up to holding his free hand. He froze when he heard a throat clear, not daring to turn around

“What the hell do you think you’re doing?” Oliver knew that voice. It was Barry’s foster father. He had seen him often when he snuck into Barry’s room and was usually the reason he had to sneak back out. He was a cop. Oliver glanced over at him. His eyes widened in recognition of the vigilante. Oliver moved as fast as he could towards the window, prepared to jump out.

“Wait-” Oliver didn’t know why, but he stopped and looked over at the cop again, who wasn’t looking at him, but at Barry.

“He’s- you’re- his…” He took a deep breath and walked over the hospital bed. He lifted up his son’s shoulder enough to untie the top of the hospital gown and show a mark in the shape of an arrow on his shoulder. Oliver had been known, but to have it confirmed with his own eyes…

“He met you in Starling City, didn’t he? I thought it might be the blonde… But neither of you knew until…” Joe mused, piecing together the information he knew. He set Barry back down. Both of his kids had found there soulmates, but only one was able to enjoy it, and that made his heart ache.

“He’s being moved tomorrow. The people at S.T.A.R. Labs-“ There was a small noise made by Oliver’s gloves as his hands fisted at the name. They had caused this. “-think they can help in ways the hospital can’t. Everyone here-“ He cupped Barry’s shoulder, eyes focusing on him. “-they’ve all but given up. Wells said he could help. The doctors seem clueless and if they can help…” There was a pause as they both looked at Barry. 

“I don’t like what you’ve done in the past, but you seem to have changed. Regardless, this boy is my son, and I will protect him no matter what. I will respect whatever he decides once- when he’s awake again.” Oliver nodded in understanding. Joe eyed him for a moment.

“I’m going to go get the nurse to prepare him to be moved. He’ll still be able to have visitors. I expect we’ll meet again,” Joe said, giving his son’s soulmate a moment with him, and making his expectations clear. Oliver reached over and put his hand tentatively on the covered shoulder that he knew had _his_ mark.

“You’d better wake up soon, we’ve got a lot to talk about, Barry,” he mumbled with a bit of humour in his voice. He stood up and went over to the window and looked back one more time, whispering one more thing before jumping out the window. 

“I’ll be back.”

**Author's Note:**

> JUST finished and posted before midnight! Woot!
> 
> I haven’t seen a lot of this trope in Oliver/Barry so hopefully you all got a kick out of it. I such a sucker for Soulmate AUs. Hopefully some other fans liked it too!
> 
> (Also, I’ll be completely real: I’ve only seen snippets of the Flash but I hope to watch the whole thing now that it’s available for streaming, so, it's probably OOC and some details might be off).
> 
> Yay for Olivarry week! I don’t even care that I have a ton of uni tests and obligations this week. I wish I could read more this week, but am just focusing on these wonderful prompts. Everyone go out there and create for Olivarry!


End file.
